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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834902">Moonlight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridol/pseuds/eridol'>eridol</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arranged Marriage, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, Gaara's soft for you, Short &amp; Sweet, Short One Shot, i swear this isn't angst, the council in the sand village are assholes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:47:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,649</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834902</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridol/pseuds/eridol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gaara is less than happy when he's told that he has to get married so he can produce an heir to be the sixth Kazekage. </p><p>Thankfully, it ends better than he initially thought it would.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gaara (Naruto) &amp; Reader, Gaara (Naruto)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>147</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Moonlight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Quiet footsteps were the only noise that could be heard on the empty street as no other than the Kazekage, Gaara, walked through The Leaf Village, only one person on his mind.</p><p>You.</p><p>Despite being a Jonin in The Leaf Village, you were probably his best friend. After meeting Naruto a few times and handling business as Kazekage there, he'd run into you quite a few times, and the two of you connected almost instantly, forming a friendship that had lasted since he was eighteen. Now, he was freshly twenty-two, and well... There was a slight problem.</p><p>When he got to your doorstep and knocked on the wood, he was surprised to see you answer immediately.</p><p>"Gaara, what are you doing here so late?"</p><p>Rather than anger, your voice carried a certain tone of concern- worry, compassion. You'd always been that way towards him, acknowledging his strength while simultaneously providing the emotional support that most people didn't realize he needed. That was a huge part of why he'd been in love with you since he was nineteen. If he was being honest, it had taken him a while to figure out, but after enough talks with Kankuro and Temari, and after reading enough of those weird books that Kakashi liked, he'd realized that the feeling was, in fact, love. He didn't know what to do with that feeling, of course- especially with the newest development in his life, which he'd come to tell you about.</p><p>Your hair was a mess, and your eyes were tired. You were only wearing a t-shirt and some shorts, clearly exhausted, and he assumed that you'd been in bed before he'd shown up, which made him feel a little guilty for disturbing your sleep. Sure, he always visited you, but it was never so late at night.</p><p>Then again, part of him feared that it would be the last visit, so maybe doing it late at night just this once wouldn't hurt. </p><p>"I have bad news."</p><p>"...Come in," You opened the door for him all the way, allowing him in before shutting it behind the both of you and leading him to the kitchen. You led him to the kitchen and sat him down at your table before sitting across from him. "What's wrong?"</p><p>"The council wants me to get married so I can produce an heir; the next Kazekage. As you can imagine, I'm not in a relationship with anyone. They've been pushing the issue for the past few years, but now they're planning on finding someone for me themselves."</p><p>There was a brief moment of silence where you reached over and placed your hand on top of his, soothingly running your thumb over the back of his knuckles. The touch was just soothing enough to have him leaning into it a bit, sighing in relief despite the negative emotions that had consumed him.</p><p>"How are they going to find someone? What would the requirements for that be?" You questioned, expression screaming worry and confusion.</p><p>"I'm not sure," He stated, eyes trained on the table. He knew that if he got married to someone else, his little visits to your house would have to stop, as much as he hated to accept the fact. It would be a disaster if people thought he was cheating on his hypothetical wife- something he'd never do, even if he didn't love whoever they ended up picking for him, which he knew he wouldn't. Gaara was at a point where he felt like he couldn't bring himself to love someone else the way he loved you, especially when you were still very much there. He'd rather love you like he had been than get married to someone he wasn't interested in, even if you never loved him back. "We're still working on mending our relationships with the other villages, so I imagine it'll be a kunoichi from a different village. It'll be a way to strengthen our alliances. Aside from that, I don't think there are really any requirements."</p><p>"Well, then..." You froze, eyes widening like you'd just come up with something. You looked up at him, body tense. "You could marry me. Tell them you've found someone, so you can at least marry someone you're familiar with instead of a complete stranger."</p><p>"I couldn't," He objected, shaking his head. "You have a whole life to live here, I... I can't take that away from you. I know you care for me, and I care for you too, but this isn't something I'll allow you to do for me just because you feel obligated-"</p><p>"I don't feel obligated. I want to," You tried to reassure him, though he wasn't having it.</p><p>Why in God's name would you want to marry him? You. (y/n) (l/n). One of the most talented, kindest ninja he'd ever had the privilege of meeting. He was a disaster, someone who'd failed a million times over despite how hard he'd tried, someone who didn't deserve the love you had to offer. Sure, Gaara had always loved you, but he hadn't ever imagined a scenario where the two of you ended up together- the few times he had seriously thought about your future, he'd assumed you'd get married to some lucky guy or girl in The Leaf Village, or maybe you'd be single for the rest of your life. Out all of the possibilities he'd considered you going with, he hadn't crossed his own mind.</p><p>"Why on earth would you want to marry me?"</p><p>"I'm in love with you, Gaara."</p><p>"No, you're not," He whispered, voice shaky. The subject was sensitive- he'd always been in love with you, and to have you say that after so long was shocking, especially considering the context of it only coming out when he'd told you that he had to get married. "You're just saying that to-"</p><p>"Why would I just say that?" You asked, voice nearly cracking. Gaara immediately flinched, feeling bad for hurting you. As messed up as it was, though, it was nice to know that you cared- that you really did love him and really weren't saying that just because of some ulterior motive. Gaara knew you were pure of heart- you weren't one of those people who'd try to marry him for power, fame, or money, but he still feared your motives somewhat- feared that you were just doing this because you felt bad about him being pushed into something he didn't want and thought you could ease the blow by involving yourself. Thankfully, his feelings seemed to be reciprocated, so it wasn't just you forcing yourself.  "This isn't something to take lightly. I know you don't love me back-"</p><p>"No, don't misperceive what I've said. I do love you, I... I'm better when I'm with you," At that, you stood up from your chair, the wooden legs of the piece of furniture making a squeaking sound at the sudden movement as you took a couple of steps over, your hand still on top of Gaara's as you leaned down and captured his lips with yours. His eyes went wide, even as your mouth tenderly moved against his, and his mind was racing with a million questions- Was this even real, or was he hallucinating? Was this some sort of prank? Were you serious? Was this too good to be true? He didn't know, but the caution that he usually had when it came to these things went out the window when your other hand was gently rested on his cheek. He tentatively kissed you back, unsure of how to move or what to do since it was his first real kiss, but going along with what you were doing until you pulled back. Once the redhead regained his train of thought, he glanced to the side, face burning red as he spoke again. "If you'd have me, I'd really be happy to marry you, but I want you to be sure about it."</p><p>"I've been sure about it since we met. I just never said anything because I was afraid that you didn't return my feelings, and even if you did, I thought it might be complicated for you to be in a relationship with someone in The Leaf Village."</p><p>"I'd do anything for you," Gaara explained, taking your hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze as he dared to meet your eyes again, his seafoam melting at the sight of your (e/c). "I mean that. Truly. If you're sure about this, would you like to come home with me? I can tell the council about our engagement in the next couple days. I'm sure the wedding can be postponed for a year or so if you want to use that time to..."</p><p>"Date?" You asked, tilting your head.</p><p>"Yes, date... That's what it's called. Thank you for the reminder. Does that sound alright to you?"</p><p>"Definitely. I'll pack my things."</p><p>With that, you turned and exited out of the room, leaving Gaara by himself with nothing but the empty room and the distant sounds of your footsteps pitter-pattering against the wooden floors. </p><p>As the moonlight that shone into the kitchen from the slits in your blind reflected against the wood of your table and the pale skin of his hands, he couldn't help but think back to you.<br/>
You'd always looked best under the moonlight- you looked gorgeous all the time, but something about how it brought out all of the features he'd fallen in love with was absolutely stunning, and the thought that he might be able to see that every night before he went to bed in the near future...</p><p>The redhead sighed, running a hand through his hair and leaning forward a bit, a small chuckle falling from in between his lips as a smile took them over.</p><p>"How did I get so lucky?"</p>
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